Telling our story is not always as easy as it sounds. We share research findings by using the tools that help us get our message out there. Traditionally, this meant we published our research in academic journals., created posters and presented them at conferences, and turned our findings and experiences into easily consumed “research snapshots,” or fact sheets. We might sit in front of a computer screen and churn out an op-ed piece for the local newspaper. We might even be interviewed live by the local media. Ultimately, we want to move our knowledge and experiences into the hands of those who can use it in valuable ways to create healthy communities that thrive. The traditional methods and processes help us do that.

These traditional methods have one thing in common – they are usually accomplished at the end of our research cycle. We concentrate so much on getting the work done that we forget about engaging our audiences throughout the entire research cycle. Integrating our knowledge mobilization activities, from the development of the research question through the entire research cycle, affords us the opportunity to further engage our research partners, policy makers, and members of the community. This opens up a world of possibilities. But, how do we do it?

Never before has it been as easy as it is now to engage with people across the globe. The digital environment provides us all with an equal opportunity to publish and share our knowledge directly with those who can use it. Social media, websites, videos, pod-casts, blogs, and a host of other tools exist today that did not exist in the past. People seeking knowledge can access it directly and engage with the authors of that knowledge easily. These new methods and process are powerful and, when used with more traditional knowledge mobilization tools and methods, enhance our knowledge mobilization activities and help us reach our goals at the beginning, the middle, and end of the recycle cycle. How to effectively make use of the new digital tools, including social media, is contained within the 208 pages of The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users.

What is this book all about?

With this in mind, I invite you to check out Peg Fitzpatrick’s and Guy Kawasaki’s latest publication – The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. Both authors are masters of the digital space. Fitzpatrick is a social media strategist and popular blogger. She has over 80 000 followers across the web. Kawasaki, chief evangelist for Canva and industry thought leader, works to serve over 10 million followers daily. They are engaged and generate buzz around the ideas and concepts they are passionate about. They know how to be social online and how to put the power of social to work for them. Between the covers of The Art of Social lies much of that knowledge and the author show you how put the power of digital communications to work for you.

Who should read this book?

Anyone looking to optimize social profiles for increased engagement, interested in developing a plan for social activity, or in need of practical and actionable solid advice and tips about using social to connect and collaborate in today’s digital world absolutely needs to read this book. It is a valuable resource that presents what you need to know in easily accessed chapters and sections.

Why should you add this book to your resource shelf?

“This is what we do. I hope it helps you,” says Fitzpatrick during an interview with Mitch Jackson on The Human Side Interviews. Both authors are well established in social media and often field questions about what they do and how they do it. This gave rise to an expert collaboration that resulted in this book. This book shares all the steps and details the process involved in building the proper foundation for your social activity, attracting followers, and expanding your sphere influence by providing value and sincerely engaging with those you connect with online. Find out how to get your message heard in an increasingly noisy digital space by:

Building a strong foundation: Optimize your profiles with a professional looking photo of YOU. People don’t engage with logos, they connect with people. Be yourself, share your passions, and learn from your network. Show your audience what you care about by creating a powerful bio and cover photos on each platform you choose to be present on.

Feed the content monster: Learn what to share, when to share it, and where to share it. Whether creating your own unique content or curating content from the web or sharing content that exists within your network, ensure that it always connects with your own goals and values. Many tools help make this process easier – Google Alerts, Hootsuite, Alltop, Feedly, and many others are low cost or free to use and bring the content straight to you!

Integrate your social media and blogging: Discover just how powerful your website or blog is when combined with social media. Use your website or blog as the place where all other activity will drive readers to your longer form content. The tips in this book will help you build community around long form ideas.

Attracting Followers: Discover a three-step plan that works to attract more followers and encourages them to engage with your content. First, share great content. Then, be enchanting and likable. Wrap it up with integrity – be yourself and be honest.

Throughout the book, Fitzpatrick and Kawasaki provide power tips like Facebook’s ability to upload videos natively, using GooglePlus’s ripples to build your network, which networks like (and which do not) hashtags, how rich media enhances your engagement, and a lot more.

My thoughts…

It is not very often that a book makes me cheer out loud. This one did! This one makes it to the top of my recommended books. Whether you are just starting out or looking to add more power to your punch when communicating online, this book belongs on your resource shelf.

Where can you find out more (and buy the book)?

Are you convinced? Are you ready to buy the book? No? Check out these resources that will help you understand how important this book is to helping you master the art of social and tell your story:

The Art of Social Media website: Take a quiz to discover your own level of social media knowledge, download all the links and resources mentioned in the book, or connect with the authors on the book’s website.

Are you ready to add this book to your resource shelf now? I sure hope so! You can buy the book or grab the eBook here:

the benefits and challenges of working with charities and nonprofits to develop and implement knowledge mobilization strategies

how charities and nonprofits, like Parachute Canada, are using knowledge mobilization in their outreach and programming

the importance of including charities and nonprofits in knowledge mobilization networks to

Who is Parachute?

Parachute is a charitable organization helping Canadians stop the clock on predictable and preventable injuries. We are about education, knowledge and empowerment. Parachute is leading, inspiring, and mobilizing Canadians of all ages. We are creating a movement and building awareness and understanding of the issue of injury, to keep Canadians safe at home, on the road, at work, and at play.

Parachute is a national, charitable organization, formed in July 2012, which unites the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada into one strong leader in injury prevention. This passionate, unified voice leverages 80 years of combined injury-prevention experience and we cannot be underestimated in our resolve and capacity to effect change. Find out more…

[&amp;amp;lt;a href=”//storify.com/bonniezink/kmbchat-kmb-from-a-nonprofit-or-charity-organizati” target=”_blank”&gt;View the story “#KMbChat: KMb from a nonprofit or charity organizational perspective with @ParchuteCanada” on Storify&lt;/a&gt;]

the benefits and challenges of working with charities and nonprofits to develop and implement knowledge mobilization strategies

how charities and nonprofits, like Parachute Canada, are using knowledge mobilization in their outreach and programming

the importance of including charities and nonprofits in knowledge mobilization networks to

Who is Parachute?

Parachute is a charitable organization helping Canadians stop the clock on predictable and preventable injuries. We are about education, knowledge and empowerment. Parachute is leading, inspiring, and mobilizing Canadians of all ages. We are creating a movement and building awareness and understanding of the issue of injury, to keep Canadians safe at home, on the road, at work, and at play.

Parachute is a national, charitable organization, formed in July 2012, which unites the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and ThinkFirst Canada into one strong leader in injury prevention. This passionate, unified voice leverages 80 years of combined injury-prevention experience and we cannot be underestimated in our resolve and capacity to effect change. Find out more…

What was this chat all about?

On January 22nd, Ali Hirji (@abbaspeaks) and Erin Yunes (@erinyunes) discussed their research travels through Nunavut as part of the Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage project (MICH) (@MICHproj). The goal of this project was to help researchers who travel to remote communities to conduct their research.

Ali and Erin recently traveled to Nunavut, Canada, to look at connectivity issues faced by Inuit Artists (check out this blog posting on ResearchImpact.ca to read about their experience). It was an opportunity for applied research and showed how knowledge mobilization is an integral component of the research fabric. Ali notes that,

“…knowledge mobilization [not only] allowed [them] to parlay [their] raison d’etre as MICH researchers, but also to mobilize [their] research into a community-based end product.”

This #KMbChat:

encouraged researchers to discuss how they might show the impact of their work in remote communities

discussed tips that will help researchers prepare for travel to remote communities (logistics and other challenges)

showed the importance of travel to remote communities (rather than connecting virtually)

reminded us to “tune into” what is there, rather than fixating on what is not

From preparing for logistical challenges to working with different technologies, MICH, Ali, and Erin shared their experiences and helped participants understand some of the challenges involved in working with remote communities and told us about how they overcame those challenges.

Like this:

Craft a Creative Business: Making & marketing a successful creative business

by Fiona Pullen

Published by Search Press Ltd (2015); 240 pages (paperback)

I bet you are wondering why I am reviewing a book about crafting a creative business. I bet you wondering what a business book about crafting has to do with knowledge mobilization. And I bet you are also wondering how this book could be useful to you. Let’s explore that a bit, shall we?

Most of you know that I knit, I sew, I write, I crochet, and I create. These creative endeavours allow me to see a vibrant and exciting world and help me make sense of it. As the weft and warp threads of a fabric work together to create a strong fabric, so do the connections and collaborations with professionals (like you) work together to form a strong network of professionals working to tell a story about the issues and concerns that matter to you. Part of moving your knowledge and successfully telling that story is making use of today’s modern digital tools.

Online communications, notably dubbed social media, have enhanced our ability to connect and collaborate in ways we couldn’t imagine a few short years ago. Social media help us remove geographic boundaries, experience different world views, and connect with like-minded professionals and organizations across the world. As more and more of our colleagues and peers begin to use social media, connections and collaborations easily develop. New partnerships form. We work together to bring develop innovative solutions to the problems we face every day. We learn from each other and bring creative approaches to our own work.

Why read this book?

So, why am I reviewing Fiona Pullen’s Craft a Creative Business book? It is filled with tidbits of information about creating and running a business that you can easily put into practice. Pullen’s clear language writing style makes complex business concepts easily understood by professionals of all levels of ability. She not only provides sound advice on developing a business, but shares lessons learned from her own experience as a business woman to show you how tools like social media can help you promote yourself and your work. Her story has a lot to offer knowledge mobilization professionals working to incorporate effective social media practices into their own daily practice.

What is this book all about?

The book is divided into six sections that help entrepreneurs decide where to start in the process of developing a business, explains why understanding the legalities of operating a business are important, highlights the benefits of professionally presenting a business both online and off, explains the ins and outs of selling online and offline, and – most importantly – explains the strategic use of digital media.

Each section is complete with resources, activities, and advice from successful creative business owners around the world. Top tips and a list of further reading and links accompanies each section. Most of you will want to make special note of the sections on social media and online marketing.

It is the social media section that I’d like to draw your attention to. Many of you are just beginning your digital journey and Pullen provides clear and powerful advice about social media, from which platforms to use to developing a digital strategy.

Who should read this book?

Whether you are just beginning your digital journey or have used social media to tell your story for a while now, you will find sound advice about:

Choosing the most effective social platforms

How to use social media to tell a story

The importance of providing valuable content to your network

The value of building strategic networks

The dos and don’ts of being social

Developing effective profiles

How-to sections on some of the more popular platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

This read will benefit many of you as it explains the ins and outs of being social in clear language and makes sense out of making it work for you. Pullen includes easy-to-implement activities that help you get set up on social and think through a strategy that will help you tell your story.

Where can you buy the book?

I must note that this book is published in the United Kingdom and that Pullen is a successful business woman working in the United Kingdom (find out more about her on her website). Even though the context is about the way things are done in the United Kingdom, the content is easily transferable to all professionals, like you, working around the world.

More information:

Pullen provides a lot more information about the concepts she talks about on the Craft a Creative Business website. Explore the book, access downloads, learn about digital marketing techniques, and browse her expert blog where she talks about issues and benefits of running a business.

What’s next?

Are you still scratching your head about this whole social thing? Let me help you make social media work for you. Let’s keep the conversation going:

What is this chat all about?

On January 22nd, Ali Hirji (@abbaspeaks) and Erin Yunes will discuss their research travels through Nunavut as part of the Mobilizing Inuit Cultural Heritage project (MICH) (@MICHproj). The goal of this project was to help researchers who travel to remote communities to conduct their research.

Ali and Erin recently traveled to Nunavut, Canada, to look at connectivity issues faced by Inuit Artists (check out this blog posting on ResearchImpact.ca to read about their experience). It was an opportunity for applied research and showed how knowledge mobilization is an integral component of the research fabric. Ali notes that,

“…knowledge mobilization [not only] allowed [them] to parlay [their] raison d’etre as MICH researchers, but also to mobilize [their] research into a community-based end product.”

Join us to find out exactly how this happened, what challenges these researchers faced, and what surprises awaited their arrival in Nunavut.

This #KMbChat will:

encourage researchers to discuss how they might show the impact of their work in remote communities

discuss tips that will help researchers prepare for travel to remote communities (logistics and other challenges)

show the importance of travel to remote communities (rather than connecting virtually)

remind us to “tune into” what is there, rather than fixating on what is not

From preparing for logistical challenges to working with different technologies, MICH, Ali, and Erin will share their experiences and help participants understand some of the challenges involved in working with remote communities.

How do I follow #KMbChat?

Following the conversation is as easy as clicking here! tchat.io tracks the conversation and automatically adds the hashtag, #KMbChat, to each of your tweets. Your experience will be enhanced if you sign in with your Twitter handle.

What is Everybody Writes all about?

In today’s increasingly networked and digitized world where communication involves more typing than talking, everybody does indeed write. We write emails. We write Facebook posts. We write responses to our favourite blog posts. We write updates and opinions about interesting websites and articles for our Twitter tribes. We sometimes write those articles and publish them on our own websites. We write in our work and we ought to work to write better.

Working to write is part of our daily practice. Whether we are researchers, professional writers, human resource workers, or students (insert any professional designation or job title here) it is part of our job to write and to write well. Ann Handley is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author, keynote speaker and the world’s first Chief Content Officer, and her newest book, Everybody Writes: Your go-to guide to creating ridiculously good content, is your guide to writing well.

Handley reminds us that we are all writers. She uses clear language and conversational English punctuated by humourous insights to tell a tale about writing. Writing is part of what we all do. We, as writers, play the starring role in this “content-driven world.” Handley notes that:

“If you have a web site, you are a publisher. If you are on social media, you are in marketing. And that means that we are all relying on our words to carry our … messages. We are all writers.”

Who should read Everybody Writes?

Well, as the title implies, everybody who writes should read this book and that includes you! The general writing tips and practices appeal to everyone, no matter what you write or how good you are at writing it.

“You [will] devour this book if you’re a communicator, regardless of your title, position, years of experience, or job description. Because everybody writes.”

Why should you read Everybody Writes?

“This book inspires you to become a stronger writer,” notes Durate (Foreword, Everybody Writes). Handley’s collection of tips tricks, and advice is laid out in six easy to read sections that cover:

Writing Rules: How to Write Better (and How to Hate Writing Less)

There is no mystery to writing well. It is all about knowing the rules and knowing when to break them.

Writing Rules: Grammar and Usage

Find out what your readers really find annoying. Instead of a primer on the finer points of grammar and syntax, you will find excellent advice on how to fine tune your writing.

Story Rules

Find out how to tell your story well. Storytelling is not about putting your imagination onto a page, but communicating “the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you…but, you are the only you” (Neil Gaiman, interview by Chris Hardwick, podcast #106, Nerdist, July 12, 2011; Everybody Writes, Chapter 42).

Publishing Rules

In a world where information and opinions abound, it is important to give credit where credit is due. “Thinking like a publisher is not enough. You need to act like one” too, notes Handley. Co-opting and republishing content (prose, graphics, or photos) is simply not the way to do it. Refer to this section often for guidance on how to “act like a publisher” by incorporating journalistic best practices, “including a broader awareness of the responsibility and privilege that come with building an audience (Everybody Writes, Part IV).

Thirteen Things Marketers Write

Learn how to approach writing tasks that you are unfamiliar. This section includes things like how to write a meta description for a website, what to do when it comes time to develop a podcast, or where to start on a home-page redesign. As Handley says throughout the book, “there is no one way to write,” but these guidelines give you a place to begin until your creative genius takes over.

Content Tools

Give your inner writer the tools she needs to succeed! This section provides you with a list of tools and aids that will help you do your best work. From fountain pens to idea generators to productivity and editing tools, you will discover what works for you and try something new.

“Every page will make you laugh, or at least smile,” says Durate in the Foreword. Handley’s straight forward style is a joy to read. Handley shares top-notch advice and shows it in action through references from pop culture (like Mean Girls and The Lion King), by citing successful authors from the present and past (like Stephen King andHemingway), and including modern references and mini case studies from real live writers working to tell stories in today’s increasingly networked and digitized world.

Succinct, to the point, and clear. These are the hallmarks of Mark W. Schaefer’s writing. They also are the cornerstone of writing for Twitter. Sharing in 140 characters or less can is often challenging and overwhelming. What do we say? Who do we say it to? Why are we saying it?

Those are a few of the questions that the revised edition of the Tao of Twitter will help you answer. Following the advice in this book will help you rise to the challenge of building an engaged community on Twitter through sharing valuable content and being helpful.

Schaefer loads each page with valuable advice based on his own experience. Split into two sections, with the first dealing with the workings of Twitter and the second addressing the strategy of Twitter, Schaefer provides relevant examples of how to make Twitter work for you from his own Twitter timeline.

What’s the point?

Whether you are just starting out on Twitter or have been tweeting since Twitter began, you will find this revised edition helpful.

It addresses recent changes Twitter has made and includes material that shows how Tweeters have made use of the evolving nature of this popular social network to reach their goals.

It provides sound advice and tips for those working in regulated industries to incorporate Twitter as a networking tool without infringing on organizational policies and industry legalities.

Case studies show Schaefer’s experience (and success) in using Twitter to further his own business and how to apply the lessons learned to your own daily practice.

Time saving techniques help you discover how to save time and incorporate Twitter into your own workflow by dedicating a few minutes each day to connecting, conversing, and sharing.

“You never know who will connect with you, you never know how they will connect with you, and you never know where it will lead.” (Chapter 5, Tao 1: Finding Your Tribe)

This is the Tao of Twitter!

Ultimately, Schaefer brings home the message that Twitter is about people connecting with people. We don’t connect to organizations, faceless avatars, or fancy logos. We build relationships with people. We do business with people. We talk to people. Twitter is not about broadcasting the values that are important to you., but it is about:

Learn from the best and check out the handy list of Tweeps and organizations mentioned in The Tao of Twitter, Revised and Expanded New edition: Changing Your Life and Business 140 Characters at at a time